carol

carol — noun

IPA/ˈkærəl/
KK[kˈærəl]IPA/ˈkærəl/
  • carolsingular
  • carolsplural

1. a cheerful song, often with religious themes, that people typically sing around

1.nounB2
Definition

a cheerful song, often with religious themes, that people typically sing around Christmas to celebrate the season.

Example

Zuri taught the children a traditional Welsh carol for the school concert.

countable: a carol

The choir at St. Mary's Church practiced six carols every Wednesday evening in December.

plural use: carols sung as a set

Common collocations
  • sing a carol
  • Christmas carol
  • traditional carol
  • carol service
Synonyms
  • hymn

    broader — any religious song, not tied to Christmas

  • noel

    literary or formal word specifically for a Christmas carol

Grammar Patterns

a carol about [topic]

Usage Note

Most often refers specifically to Christmas songs; without seasonal context, a listener will assume the Christmas meaning.

Common Mistakes

I listened to a carol yesterday in July.
I listened to a Christmas carol yesterday in July.
outside December, add 'Christmas' to avoid confusing listeners about what kind of song you mean.

carol — verb

IPA/ˈkær.əl/
KK[kˈærəl]IPA/ˈker.əl/

Word family

  • caroller
    nounC1
  • carolling
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A carol is a cheerful song tied to Christmas, often sung outdoors by a group of people. A hymn is broader: any religious song sung in worship, used year-round in church services, with no festive feeling required. Noel is a more literary or formal word for a Christmas carol; you see it in song titles like 'The First Noel' but rarely in everyday speech. An anthem is a song that represents a country, group, or cause and is usually sung on formal occasions, not on Christmas doorsteps. So if you hear 'Silent Night' at a December service, that's a carol; if you hear 'Amazing Grace' at a Sunday morning service in June, that's a hymn.

carol ↗hymn ↗noel ↗anthem ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Christmas carol
  • carol service
  • carol singer
  • carol concert

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sing carols
  • go carolling
  • carol singing

Prepositions

  • about (a topic)
  • from (door to door)

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Carol comes from Old French 'carole', a ring dance with singing performed during festivals in medieval Europe. The dance step gradually faded away and the word came to mean just the song, with Christmas eventually becoming the main occasion when such joyful group songs were performed in English-speaking communities.